Gweru Sports Club defies council eviction order

Gweru Sports and
Recreational Club has defied a Gweru City Council eviction order that
was issued by the Local Authority through the then Acting Town Clerk
Vakai Chikw ekwe giving the club up to January 31.

Speaking to this
reporter Gweru Sports Club Chairman Mr John Makuwalo said as a club
they are not budging but instead the club is preparing to host the
National Youth Games set for August this year. We are not going
anywhere; we actually have 15 lawyers ready to challenge this
eviction if they want to go ahead with it. We are now actually
preparing to host the National Youth Games in August, so we are
moving forward instead,” he said.

He said the club
actually needs more land to construct facilities for new sporting
disciplines that were not catered for at the club as all the land
that is available at the premises has been mapped with only funding
being the challenge.

Gweru City had, last
year, written to Gweru Sports Club and Midlands Academy of Music to
vacate the premises in order pave way for commercial stands for
private investors.

This however sparked an
outcry from sports administrators, stakeholders and residents in the
Province saying the club is the biggest sporting facility in the
Midlands, more so, the Sports Ministry through the Sports and
Recreation Commission had vowed to make the club the standard
facility in the Province.

Midlands Province
SRC Development Officer Mr Simon Masaka said the commission through
the Ministry is in the process of engaging the Local Government
Ministry to stop the possession of the premises by Gweru City. “We
raised the issue between council and sports club, we tabled it before
the Sports Ministry and we are now engaging the Local Government
Ministry hoping to stop what the council wants to do, by now I
believe it is before the Minister July Moyo’s desk,” Masaka
said.

Minister July Moyo is
on record saying Gweru City cannot make a change of use for the
facility without the authorization of the Ministry and all
stakeholders have to be first consulted before such a major move is
done.

So far in preparation
for the 2019 Youth Games in August the Local Organising Committee
said the facilities at Gweru Sports Club should be developed in time
for the games.

Masaka said currently
the SRC is trying to lure companies to chip in and assist, as well as
associations such as the Handball association which has already asked
for land to construct handball courts at the Sports Club.

He said they are also
engaging the Midlands State University to partner with Gweru Sports
Club to develop some of the facilities that are not available at the
University such as cricket where they are currently travelling to
train in Kwekwe